Headlines: A Hollywood Engagement
by Maiden of the Moon
Summary: Kagome and Inu-Yasha have finally announced their love, gotten engaged, and let go of the past. But when Sango and Miroku announce that Kag's got a new costar, what will happen? (Headlines: A Hollywood Romance sequel; InuKag- AU)
1. Kagome's New Boy Toy

_Disclaimer: I think I'm going to cry. . . _

_Author's Note: I can't believe I'm doing this. . . yet here I am. Bet none of you saw this coming, did you? I certainly didn't. . . at least, not until I received Blue Rhapsody3-san's review. And she. . . she. . . put a **plot bunny **into my head! (gasp!) Ergo, if you want someone to thank (or blame) for this, talk to her. (;_

_So, Blue Rhapsody3-san, this is dedicated to you! (And everyone else who begged for a sequel. XD) I don't plan on this being uber long, but it will be. . . Long enough. (: _

Please enjoy!

_**- Headlines: A Hollywood Engagement- **_

_**-Chapter One: Kagome's New Boy Toy-**_

"Okay, let's go over this ONE MORE TIME. . ."

"One more time. . ."

"There are FOUR magazines left on the rack."

"Four. . ."

"Do you know what that means. . . ?"

Silence.

"Well. . . ?" Ayumi prodded carefully, voice stern but gentle. Her body was currently positioned between her rabid friends and the rack of magazines at the drug store- trying her best to salvage the remaining headliners. "There are three of us and four magazines. That means. . . ?"

"Umm. . ." Eri considered for a moment, nose wrinkling. "There are enough Inu-Yasha centerfolds for myself, my mom, my dog, and e-bay. . . ?"

"No. . ."

"Er. . ." Yuka took a stab, biting her bottom lip. "I'll have enough copies to keep one and use the rest to wallpaper my room?"

"NO. . ."

Silence. Again.

Ayumi sighed heavily, shaking her head. "It MEANS there are _enough _for YOU, Yuka- YOU, Eri- ME, **_and _**the clerk guy staring so intently at us from the cash register!"

". . ." As gazes turned towards him, the cashier looked away; face pink from embarrassment.

"SO," the wavy-locked girl clapped her hands, slowly moving to one side. "Let's be good about this- ONE magazine a person. No fighti. . .!"

"HEY! THIS ONE'S GOT A DENTED COVER!"

"Wha! It DOES! I DON'T WANT IT!"

"Take it! _YOU _SAW IT FIRST!"

"I did **NOT**! _YOU_ did! You're the one that ANNOUNCED IT!"

"_Er_. . . !"

"Oi ve. . ." Sighing once more, Ayumi surrendered; carefully selecting one of the three magazines not currently being fought over and beginning to read the headline about the upcoming movie opening for Feudal Fairytale. All in all, just another normal day in the life of a fan girl. . .

"Um. . . Hey. . ." the clerk guy called weakly from the cashier, waving a hand with a nervous smile. "C-can you toss a copy over here? Before your friends destroy the others? Please. . . ? Uh. . . Hello. . . ?"

**x**

But though the fan girl (and boy)s' lives were all peachy, things weren't looking up for others. . .

The Forces of Fate work in mysterious ways, after all. Strange ways. Evil ways. Ways that never failed to completely baffle Kagome Higurashi. Nothing in her world ever made sense. Ever. Fate had decreed that the dryer always eat her left sock, her fiancée be a man she once despised, and her biggest pet peeve, (despite her profession,) be drama queens.

Fate, obviously, held something against her. Though she wasn't sure exactly what. . . Or why. Anyway, that was all irrelevant. Except for the fact that fate was wicked. That was all too real to her right now. . .

Oh, and irony wasn't a great friend, either.

"WHAT!" the actress all but sobbed, clinging to her agent's dress-pants with a helpless air. "Please, Sango-chan, I'm BEGGING you. . . PLEASE do NOT say what I thought you just said!"

The chestnut-haired woman arched a elegant eyebrow, trying to gracefully detach herself from her crying client. But seeing as how Kagome had a grip of steel, it was proving to be much more difficult of an action than originally intended. Leaning back to grip the edge of Kag's makeup table, Sango used the leverage to wildly kick her left leg, in the vain hope of loosening the bear-hug that was cutting off her circulation.

"Kagome-chan, what the hell's the matter!" the woman snapped, exasperated. She'd just had these pants dry-cleaned, God dammit! "Two weeks ago you would have sold your soul for news like this!"

"SAAAAAAAAAAANGOOOOOOO!" Kagome screamed, tears of utter frustration cascading down her cherry cheeks. Ah, behold- the triumphant return of the terrible toddler tantrum. "That's not _fair_! You of **_all _**people should realize HOW STUPID THAT ARGUMENT IS!" Pounding her fists on the floor (much to her now-free agent's glee. Maybe she could just press the slacks- no one could see the tear-stains, right?), the young adult collapsed against the pole that kept her cosmetics chair in place. "After everything you put me and Inu-Yasha through- EVERYTHING YOU AND THAT IDIOT YOU CALL A BOYFRIEND DID- you go and- **_and_**-"

**x**

"- **_GET HER A NEW CO-STAR!_**"

Miroku ducked hastily, narrowly missing having his head chopped off by a flying stapler. "Now, Inu-Yasha- I realize that this situation is a bit. . . er. . . sudden. . . But it will do the two of you some good! You need some time apart!"

A vein throbbed on the hanyou's forehead.

"I DON'T WANT ANY DAMN TIME APART!" Inu raged, his silvery hair billowing behind him in all of its masculine splendor as he used every last ounce of his strength to uproot his powder seat and chuck it at his agent. "We spent YEARS apart! We HATED each other! LOATED EVER FUCKING MINUTE WE WERE TOGETHER! And the moment we're engaged- when we've FINALLY gotten over all that- THAT'S WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GRANT OUR PAST WISHES AND SEPARATE US!"

"It's not like it's permanent!" the violet eyed man protested, easily dodging a few throw pillows lobbed at him with the force of freight trains. "Next movie- or maybe the one after that, depending on how the public reacts- and you'll be back together again! Promise!" He paused momentarily when the cushions smacked into the back wall, creating craters the size of basket balls. ". . . You might want to look into getting that plastered up."

Inu-Yasha snarled, tawny orbs flashing blood red and his teeth gnashed. "**_YoOoOoaRgRgRgRGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_**!" Flopping backwards and sliding down the wall, the actor began panting heavily; sweat dripping down his brow. His loose, button-up black t-shirt hung limply from his toned muscles; new jeans squeaking slightly under the strain of all this unanticipated exercise. The dark cowboy boots on his feet scuffling the linoleum as his bottom touched the ground, he raked his clawed fingers through his bangs. "Dammit," he cursed quietly, clenching a fist around a handful of his pale tresses. "This isn't fair!"

"Life rarely is," Miroku consoled, deciding it was now safe to sit next to his client. Taking the opportunity to do so when it arose, the ebony locked male smiled at his friend; legs crossed Indian style. "But come now! It's not like you're not in the movie! You're on screen more than either of the other two, in fact!"

"I'm the bad guy!"

"Every movie needs a bad guy."

"But I'm an EVIL bad guy!" the half-demon whined.

Inu's representative rolled his eyes. "You DO have a heart in it, you know. You even have a few romantic scenes with Miss Kagome. . ."

"_I try to **RAPE **her_!"

"Heh heh, you know what they say- It's not rape if she wants it. . ."

"But in the movie she _DOESN'T_!"

"Details, details. . ." he scoffed, waving a casual hand. "The point is that you and Miss Kagome will see plenty of each other . . . It's just that she'll be doing the hot, steamy, passionate sex scenes-of-want with someone else! Not you!" One could actually hear the little heart added to the end of his statement.

". . ." the younger man sent his employee an icy glare from the corner of his eye. "Gee, thanks," he drawled. "I'm feeling _so _comforted."

"Good!" Beaming cheerfully, the agent tilted his head. "You should! As you yourself has told Miss Kagome- it's not the on-stage kisses that mean anything. And I'm sure she's giving you a LOT more at home than she'll give her new co-star here. If you catch my drift. Speaking of which. . ." A large, perverted grin began to snake its way over Miroku's lips, making his amethyst pools twinkle. "I hear you two are living together. So how go the 'late-night _luuuuuuuuuuuv _rehearsals'?"

Inu-Yasha's face flushed magenta. And- unable to turn away from a good innuendo session- the employee unwisely continued. "Do ya teach each other new 'techniques', or are you more _traditionalists_?"

Inu's eye began to twitch; clenched hands shaking. Warning bells began going off in the other's mind, but he was always one to live on the edge. (He went out with Sango, didn't he?)

"Method acti-_eeep_!"

"**_MIROKUUUUUUU_**!" Ignoring the agent's yelp, the growling actor attacked wildly- face almost the same deep maroon as his eyes. "_I'M GONNA **KILL **YOU_!"

"W-wait! No killing me yet!" Miroku begged, trying his best to scoot away as his employer gnawed on his head, talons slicing wildly. "I've got so much left to DO!"

"_Ough 'Eaaah_?" the hanyou retorted icily, the horror he might have struck in anyone's heart fizzing out thanks to the large amount of hair he had in his mouth. "_'Ike waaaa_!"

"Like telling you who Kagome's co-star is gonna be!" he whimpered, fruitlessly attempting to bash Inu-Yasha's head against the wall in order to get him to release his precious ponytail. "I wasn't gonna, 'cause you're not gonna like it, but seeing as how you've already reacted, I guess I should just get it all out of the way!"

The actor's eyes narrowed. Spitting out his representative's head, he hissed warningly- leaning dangerously closer. ". . . _Who. Is_. _It_. . . ?"

**x**

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_**!"

With a scream so high-pitched that even the coffee-guzzling security guards took a moment to see what was wrong, the infamous police captain Ayame ripped open the front doors of the studio; beyond livid. Dust and plaster raining down from the ceiling, the usually cheerful woman allowed her features to contort in fury. "WOULD _ANYONE _CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT MY _**HUSBAND'S **AGENT _JUST TOLD ME!"

From the expression on her face and the screams of rage and horror that were now reverberating off the walls from the direction of Kagome and Inu-Yasha's rooms, the answer to that question would most likely be a "no".

But it wasn't looking like they had much of a choice.

**x**

**x**

**x**

_That's the end of chapter one! Not sure how long this will be- I've got a basic idea of what I want to do and therefore have not written an outline. (Dun dun DAAA!) Oh well. We'll just have to see what happens! XD _

I'll try to update soon! Please R and R! Ja ne!


	2. I Blame it On the Heels

_Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha is not mine. . . But he belongs to Kagome, so it's all good. XD _

Author's Note: Hey hey! Sorry for the long gap in updating. I got the fourth Chrono novel and it rocked so much that I had to write some ficlets for it, and then I have this HUGE research speech I have had to do for English. . . (It's worth half of my semester grade! Augh!)

Anyway, guess what? I got contacts! Woooo. . . It's so cool to be able to wear sunglasses again. XD And I'm almost done with the Rosette costume I'm making for an upcoming convention! (Anime Central 2005 in Chicago. Anyone else going on May 15th?) It looks SO cool. . . I'm so happy! XD

_Let's see. . . Was there any questions from last chapter? Well, except for 'who is the new costar?'. Though I thought that would be obvious. . . I'm sure y'all are just trying to be nice and make me think I've got you on the edge of your seat, ne? (; Heehee._

_  
Oh, someone mentioned Stardust. Yeah, I know I said I'd start updating that, but now that I'm doing this one. . . it's on hiatus again. (sweat drop) Sorry. . ._

_Well, let's get started, shall we? XD _

**_- Headlines: A Hollywood Engagement- _**

_**-Chapter Two: I Blame it On the Heels- **_

"_And. . . Oh my God, it's Bad Luck! Back from their world-wide tour! Their new CD, _Gravitation_, is in music stores now! Next in line is Rosette Christopher and her husband Chrono, fresh from their new movie _Fight Against Time_- planned to be out in three months. And there's Azmaria Hendrick, the youngest Grammy winner in over fifty years. A real child protégée! Isn't she adorable in her white linen and ribbons?"_

"**_I've heard that she plans on singing a duet with Suichi Shindo some time soon- it will be interesting to hear something beside Christian hymns from her, eh? Perhaps we've got a new Portuguese pop star in our midst!" _**

"**Ugh**. . . _How much longer_?" Inu-Yasha whined, nails digging into his chin as he rested his head in his palm. His other hand clenched tightly around the loose cloth covering his kneecap, gritting his pearly whites in irritation. "I HATE these fucking premieres!"

Growling, he stared out of the tinted limo window at the pink haired rock star and his group, who were currently waving to a hundred of screaming admirers. The singer paused in his acknowledgements to chat animatedly with the embarrassedly blushing twelve year old girl beside him. Her fingers tightened around the hand she was grasping- one that belonged to a cheerful blue-eyed boy. Then she smiled and laughed, pushing a strand of her silvery locks behind her ear. Nodding towards a blonde girl- the sister, evidently, of the boy she was with- and the older girl's purple haired husband, the band of idols skipped into the already packed theater, sending final well-wishes to their adoring, hyperventilating fans. The hanyou rolled his eyes. 'Idiots.'

"Well, tough beans," Miroku huffed, straightening his crisp lapels. Smoothing back his hair and nodding to Sango, he crossed his legs at the knees. "You're going to go, you're going to have fun, and you're going to deal with it."

Inu snarled, returning his attention to the pack in the car. "But I don't wanna have fun!"

"I don't care if you don't want to! It's what you're grossly overpaid to do!"

". . . Dammit."

Kagome smiled tiredly at her fiancée, tugging restlessly at the long golden gloves on her arms. "Let's just make sure this isn't a repeat of the last premiere, okay? Then I'll be happy."

She paused.

". . . And don't ruin my dress this time."

The amber orbed man beside her snorted, crossing his arms. "It was your fault, anyway," he muttered under his breath, glaring determinedly at the opposite side of the auto. Kag stiffened, navy pools narrowing.

"What was that, puppy. . . ?" she began warningly, already in a bad mood after being stuffed into what she considered uncomfortable underwear. Her outfit just barely covered the essentials, and if it wasn't for the see-through, gold colored over-dress and the thigh-high matching boots, she would have felt overly bare. 'What a dumb waste of scrap material. . .' She thought sourly of her vain fight not to go like this, and the disappointing but not unexpected news that fashion always ruled over common sense- e_specially _in the world of divas. But that didn't keep her from feeling very annoyed and irritable.

Inu-Yasha shot her a glare. "I _mean_ you deserved it after turning me into a walking Pepsi commercial!"

"Excuse ME," the actress glowered in response, "but I seem to recall that YOU dumped popcorn on ME _first_! And besides," she pouted, forehead furrowing as she crossed her arms over her lifted-and-separated chest (God, she hated Sango and Kanna right now), "it was Coke. Not Pepsi."

Yeah, _that_ made a difference.

"Ever realize that we're, like, professional babysitters?" Miroku whispered to Sango, watching the two immature children get into a cat fight. "Only we're underpaid. . . " She nodded before kicking them both and ordering that they calm down. ". . . and we get to physically abuse the kids."

Giving his shin a rub, Inu-Yasha sighed- raking a hand through his wild white locks. "Yeah, yeah, sorry, whatever," he mumbled to Kagome, shooting the managers aggravated glares. They flipped him two encouraging thumbs up, asking if he'd like a smiley face sticker for his efforts. He flipped them something in return before beginning to fiddle with the buttons of his jacket and the extra folds of his loose tie. Soon that became boring, and he started checking his watch.

"_Here come the famous fight choreographers, Ed and Al Elric! Aren't they looking snazzy in their designer suits? I think I smell a new fashion trend, men!" _

"**And _I hear they also have a new line of props to donate- especially in the way of armor. Aren't they generous?" _**

Kagome sighed deeply, head flopping listlessly to the side; causing her shoulder to move up and her "dress" to rise a few inches, displaying even more thigh. Miroku noticed this and was about to make a. . . comment. . . but was distracted by Sango's fist.

"Are we at the front of the line, yet?" Kag then asked drearily, eyes half lidded and full of inexpressible boredom.

"No," her agent replied shortly, glaring at her boyfriend so coldly that she put all Dentine Ice commercials to shame.

Silence fell in the limo, broken only by cheers and overly perky announcers.

"_And there goes the Sanzo party! Their hit new game, produced by Kaiba Corp, is still on the top charts for having the best graphics and storyline of any 2005 video game." _

"_**Ooo, look this way, Goku darling!" **_

Inu-Yasha fidgeted in a strange style that looked more like a weak spaz attack than anything. "Are we there yet?"

"No," Miroku retorted, sounding pained. He rubbed his abused noggin weakly.

Again, silence.

"_**Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh my goodness, it's the famous martial artist Ranma Satome and his wife Akane- fresh from their new movie! I've heard that they share the spotlight with Kyo and Yuki Sohma, isn't that correct?" **_

"_That's what I've heard!" _

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

_"Eee! Ladies, don't forget to breathe- look! It's Dark Mousy and Daisuke Niwa, world-renounced actors, acrobats, and directors- all in one! Their private art collection is nothing to sneeze at, either. Aren't th. . . oi! Get your hands off Dai, girls! No, really! Off! **HE'S MINE, DAMMIT!**"_

"**_Riku, calm down! We're still on the air!" _**

"Are we there YET?" chorused the immature couple, Inu considering ripping out his (or perhaps Miroku's) hair; Kagome about to have a breakdown. Sango's eye twitched, hands itching from building frustration.

"Is the door opening. . . ?" she managed to inquire in a strained voice, staring flatly at the two.

"No. . . ?" Kagome offered weakly, not quite sure whether she was stating this or questioning it.

"THEN STOP ASKING!" the other female barked, making the rest of the car's occupants jump.

"But. . .!" Inu-Yasha began, about to argue, when- simultaneously

a) Sango dove to strangle him.

b) Miroku bent down to tie his shoe (which was stupid, really, because it was a slip on).

c) Kagome felt something land on the side of her stiletto heal, making it bend incorrectly.

And

d) The door, (as if on ironic cue) swung open.

". . ."

Four pairs of surprised eyes stared out at the crowed, who'd suddenly fallen silent. It probably didn't look. . . er. . . good in their eyes, what with Sango's hands around the hanyou's neck, Kagome on the floor in pain, and Miroku conked out from being whacked in the head by his lunging girlfriend.

"_Er_. . . _And it's the stars of the show and their agents! Kagome Higurashi and Inu-Yasha Takahashi are finally here! And it looks like they brought. . . Um. . . A little comic relief with them!_"

As the crowd began applauding, the small group finally began to breathe again. They were safe, publicity wise, for the time being. The media could laugh at this. But if anything else happened. . .

They needed to get out there and make a recovery, NOW.

Sango hastily turned her death grip into a loving swat of Inu-Yasha's hair, 'trying to put it back in place'. "Smi-i-ile," she sang with a fake, perky air. "Smile or I'll. . . !" A nearby car horn went off as the virulent words poured from her lips, the alarm falling silent only after she'd finished her long, colorful threat. Wow, what timing. . . And though he never actually ended up knowing what she had said, it was silently decided that he didn't want to know- or find out.

And so, taking the hint, the actor slid out of the car with a beam on his face. All of the females in a two mile radius screamed, fainting when he winked. Cameras flashed like fireworks, nearly blinding all those around.

But something was amiss. . .

Hiding his frown by ducking his face back into the limo, Inu glared questioningly at Kagome. She hadn't moved since the door was opened. "Well?" he pressed softly, sounding a bit irritated. "Let's go!"

"I- can't. . . !" Kag snapped back, eyes watering as she clutched her foot, rocking back and forth. "These stupid stupid STUPID shoes just broke my ankle!"

Inu-Yasha blinked. And he thought the siren's timing was good. . . If he didn't know any better, he'd say that someone was working against them. "No shit?"

She stared at him flatly, un-amused by the crude language. "No shit," she repeated monotonously. "And I'm not gonna get up and walk on it!"

"Well, you can't just spend the whole damn night with your head in the car, Inu-Yasha!" Sango bit, sounding positively frightened as the throngs' murmurs began to grow more curious in nature. "Get your asses out there NOW!"

With a shove and a powerful glitter in her eye, the older woman kicked both completely out of the car; Kagome in Inu-Yasha's arms.

Bridal style, of course.

Wonderful.

Both flushed, the crowd cooing. The rabid Inu-Yasha devotees looked a bit put out, though; whipping out their cell phones to connect to their favorite internet voodoo sites. Death to the Evil Slime-Monkey of Hell. . .

Scary, scary fan girls.

But the worst was yet to come. Oh, the horror. . . ! Wincing in anticipation, the couple all but needed botax to keep the smiles on their faces when the media pressed foreword, craning their bodies over the velvet ropes that kept them off of the red carpet. It was times like this that made them truly grateful for all of the acting experiences they'd had.

"Mr. Inu-Yasha! Miss Kagome! What did you like best about _Feudal Fairytale_?"

"Mr. Takahashi! A word about your recent engagement to Miss Higurashi?"

"Our readers would love to hear what you have to say about the other guests!"

"Miss Higurashi, can we see your ring?"

"We've heard rumors that Bad Luck will be playing at your reception! Is that true?"

"No- our sources say that's why Azmaria Hendrick was invited to this premiere! Isn't that right, Kagome? Inu-Yasha?"

"I LOVE YOU, INU-YASHA! MARRY ME OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Are you going to have a western style wedding? Traditional? Public? Private?"

"What is your next movie going to be about? Will it be a new romance?"

"What toothpaste brand do you use?"

"My cheeks are about to break. . ." Kagome muttered through her clenched and shining teeth, tightening her hold around her fiancée's neck. Inu-Yasha gave a small, brisk nod before beginning the long walk down the famous maroon mat.

"Is Naraku Hijimashi going to be in any of your new movies?"

"Do you promote the consumption of dehydrated grapes?"

"Miss Kagome! Great style! Tell our listeners where you bought your bodylicious new outfit?"

"After just having lost your last child, do you plan on trying to have any more?"

"I MEAN IT, INU-YASHA! MARRY ME OR DIE!"

"When will you get on writing your autobiographies?"

"Do you 'got the urge'?"

"Good lord, these people have lost it," Inu-Yasha swore under his breath, still smiling and nodding to random reporters. However, neither were in the mood to actually stop and chat. They'd let Miroku and Sango handle their publicity. . . They deserved to suffer.

With final silent grins and waves, the two pushed their way into the theater

And were again ambushed by a hoard of zealous correspondents. But luckily for them, there were also the hundreds of other stars to keep them busy- most noticeably Bad Luck, who had decided to perform a short, free concert for the guests waiting for the movie to start in the lounge.

"_Let's depict the vividly dancing thoughts- Found in that place of light that is unreachable even now_," the pink haired rock star sang, gloved hands cupping the microphone that his trigger-happy manager had passed him. Behind him his band members played expertly, using the empty concession stand to their advantage. Hundreds of fans sang along, mercifully drowning out the incessant babble of the media. This gave Kagome and Inu-Yasha the perfect excuse to 'not hear' the rather rude and stupid questions the morons kept asking. Reporters seemed to enjoy using dumb commercial puns to their advantage. . . Hm.

"_Don't fear the passage of time, so that words of guidance won't completely spill out and flow away._

_(And there's no way out!) _

_(I'm falling further down!)"_

After excusing himself from the umpteenth (he'd lost count after the 666th) writer, Inu-Yasha lead Kagome to a quiet corner near the tastefully gaudy bathrooms of pearl pink and sunset orange; gently setting her down so that she could lean against the wall. Crouching before her and shooting her a semi concerned glance, he carefully gave her ankle a feel through her black leather stiletto. She flinched.

"Still hurt?" he asked quietly.

Fighting the overwhelming urge to reply 'no, duh,', Kagome forced a small smile and bit her tongue. After all, he _was _trying. . . "Yeah," she replied softly, chewing the inside of her cheek. "It does."

"Hmm. . . Well, I don't think it's broken," he informed her after a few more moments of painful poking. "Just a bad sprain."

"Oh, goodie," Kagome retorted, unable to keep the dry sarcasm out of her tone. "That makes me feel all better."

Rolling his eyes, Inu-Yasha sighed and straightened. "No need to get snippy, wench."

"No need to get stupid, fool."

He arched an eyebrow. "That hardly makes sense."

"YOU hardly make sense," the girl pouted, knowing just how dumb she sounded. She chalked it up to the pain in her foot.

The actor shook his head. "You're no fun to argue with when you're not trying. . . How about we continue this when your foot's feeling better?"

"Sure, whatever," Kag exhaled loudly, much too stressed to think about it. All she wanted was a nice cup of tea and to curl up with a good book. . . Or with Inu-Yasha. Hell, maybe even both. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"_To the reincarnation of you, I say "color your eyes without smiling alone"._

_Even if the world you've longed for suddenly burns to ash,_

_The miracle can still happen; still come again._"

"Love to," her fiancée agreed, scooping her back up in his arms. "By the way, you want anything to eat?"

"Even if I did, we'd have to fight our way through the Bad Luck addicts." She jabbed a thumb at the hyperventilating enthusiasts who had resurrected rather large and dangerous looking barriers to keep from having their concert interrupted. (Were those flaming-things even legal. . . ?)

"_Let's depict the vividly dancing thoughts- Found in that place of light that is unreachable even now._

_Don't fear the passage of time, so that words of guidance won't completely spill out and flow away._"

"Good point," Inu nodded, slightly frightened; edging away from the worshipers illuminatingly evil eyes. "Let's just go to th. . ."

What happened next was, very unfortunately, captured in perfect succession on the channel 12 TV camera- and was then played and replayed throughout the night. In slow motion. Three times in a row each showing. Before it aired, however, people had a hard time discerning what had happened.

Eventually it was discovered that the whole incident began when the 'marry me or die' fan girl found Kagome and Inu-Yasha, and- after quite impressively managing to escape from the dozen of police men surrounding her- charged at him. Like a boar. And, despite his hanyou reflexes, Inu didn't sense the attack until after it was too late. Knocked off balance when her wiry, teenager arms wrapped forcefully around his middle, he began to fall foreword- accidentally releasing Kagome.

"Aa. . . !"

By the time the actress realized she was in the air, she was already falling with a scream of surprise. But before she hit the ground, a strange, demonic young man with long black hair came running foreword, swiping her out of the air and into his arms so fast that you could only see it if you were watching the reel of the recording panel by panel. (Again, which the stations decided to air- many, many times.)

"_Hold me gently-"_

Kag, her heart pounding loudly from the unexpected and rather rapid turn of events, gave her chest a hard smack to start her blood pumping again.

Then she heard a chuckle.

"_Always catch me-" _

Looking up in surprise when she processed the new voice, the girl felt her breathe catch in her throat. The pointy-eared man grinned down at her, gently taking her clenched hand from her chest and pressing a chaste kiss to the back of her palm.

"_More and more-" _

"Hello, Kagome," the man purred, sharp canines flashing when people began to turn; noticing something had happened. "So nice to see you again. Though I suppose we will be seeing quite a bit of each other on the set soon, won't we?"

The actress felt her cheeks flush brightly; eyes widening as she stared at a boy she hadn't seen since high school. "Kouga. . ."

"_In order to break my heart!_"

**X**

**X**

**X**

_Wow. . . I can't believe it took so long to write that. Believe it or not, I've actually been working on this chapter since Sunday. (sweat drop) Ah well. It's done now! XD (Please pardon the poor quality of it. . . I'm still really busy! (swirly eyes)) _

Oh- It should be mentioned that I don't own Gravitation (the song, by the way, was a section of Sleepless Beauty_, (English translation)) nor Chrono Crusade nor Fullmetal Alchemist nor Saiyuki nor YuGiOh nor Ranma ½ nor Fruits Basket nor DNAngel (nor any of the other products I mentioned), because I threw in some of their characters/merchandise/etc for the fun of it. XD Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R! _

Ja ne!

_  
(PS. Never really sure- I know there are two different forms of the word 'fiancée' (fiancée and fiancé) depending on who you're referring to. Anyone know which is which? I always forget. . . (face fault) I feel soooo stupid right now. . . )_


	3. The Problem With Bubble Gum

_Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. . . whatever. _

_Author's notes: Few things. _

_One: Firstly, I need to comment on an earlier statement made in which someone kindly pointed out that Ayame is not a manga character and should therefore not be included in this story. They also proceeded to ask whether or not I realized this. To this I reply: Yes, I knew- but I prefer using characters people know about rather than OCs, if at all possible. And even though Ayame is only an anime character, Inu-Yasha fans know who she is._

_  
Two: Someone else asked if I have IM or AIM or whatnot. Sorry, but no. I have no instant messaging services of any kind, and even if I did I would never be on due to lack of free time. (sweat drop) However, I do belong to the Beautiful Dreamer forum, if anyone's interested in checking it out. Please join! Oh- and you can e-mail me whenever you wish. (Just PLEASE stop sending me those God-awful forwards. Thank you!) _

Three: I am absolutely appalled at the lack of faith you people have in me. Seriously- WHEN have I ever even HINTED that I support Kouga/Kagome? Never! Because I **DON'T**_. Geez! Do you know how many stern e-mails and reviews I got from people chewing me up over how they hate K/Kag and would hate me forever if I continued to peruse "the direction of your fic"? "Isn't it a Inu/Kag story?" YES! "Why are you making Kouga flirt with Kagome?" BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT KOUGA DOES! "PS. Chrono Crusade is stupid!" NO IT IS NOT, DAMMIT! LEAVE MY CHRONO-BABY ALONE! _

This IS a Kagome/Inu-Yasha story, people- I **swear**_ to you. Heck- Kouga is MARRIED! He's married to Ayame! So nothing all that terrible is going to happen, I promise! _And I repeat- stop insulting Chrono Crusade! _If you don't like it, that's fine- but I do and I will write for that fandom when I want to; just as I will write for the Inu-Yasha fandom when I want to. (And I know I'm being unfair by saying this to all of you, because most of you are wonderfully supportive and I love you for it- it's really just a few very persistent bakas. . .) _

Anyway, a couple of people were questioning how Kagome knew Kouga. They were friends in High School. And Ayame liked Kouga and was jealous of Kagome so she tried to flirt with Inu-Yasha to make Kouga jealous, which resulted in the whole dramatic plot line of H:AHR. Kouga is now (obviously) an actor, too. And though Kagome has not seen him since High School, she knows this- she even asked for him to play costar instead of Inu-Yasha at the beginning to H:AHR.

I admit, this all hasn't been said straight out right in the story yet, but it was sort of implied. (Then again, I'm sure none of you have re-read H:AHR for a while, ne? ;))

_Well, now that I'm done with all my ranting and raving and bitching and stuff, let's move on, shall we? XD_

_By the way- I'm so happy (most) of you enjoyed the crossovers last chapter! I had fun throwing them in. . . and be on the look out! Some of those characters might reappear later in the story. . . mwahahahaha. . . ;)_

**_Headlines: A Hollywood Engagement_**

_**-Chapter Three: The Problem With Bubble Gum -**_

_"A-a-anyway, Mr. Inu-Yasha, sir, I- I'm ever so sorry! Please forgive my outbursts and attacks! I- I don't know what came over me!"_

"Uh huh. . ."

_"I- I was just so angry at my darling Kyo- and you remind me so much of him that I-! Well, I just wanted to show how much I loved you!" _

"I see. . ."

"_So, so please- I'm begging!- please find it in your heart to. . . to one day forgive me?" _

"Yeah, sure. . ." Inu-Yasha sighed, only gracing the girl with half of his attention; coiling the phone cord dully around his finger. His bandaged forehead gave a horrible throb. ". . . Maybe. Now, I think your fifteen minutes are almost over- Miss Sohma, wasn't it?"

_"Yes, but call me Kagura!" _the sweet voice crackled on the other end of the line- a voice so childlike that no one in their right mind would ever assume that this kid was a monster in disguise. But if her behaviors at the movie opening were any indicator, than she was more or less the bull that attacked the china shop. . . (At least, that's how he thought the saying went.) _"And. . .um . . . if it's not too much trouble, could you please contact my parents for me? I was only allowed one phone call. . ." _

The star felt his face fall flat in exasperation. ". . . I'll have my manager do something."

"_Oh, thank you! Thank you so- oi! Get your hands off of me, you police scum bag! My time is NOT up; I still have nine seconds! Hey, give me back the ph-!" _

_Click. _

Inu stared blankly at the now silent receiver he held in his hands before rolling his eyes. 'Idiot. . .' he couldn't help but muse flatly, making a mental note to call Miroku and make him deal with the fool. 'Couldn't have made that hell of an evening any worse if she tried. . .'

Sighing deeply as he unceremoniously dropped the phone (blissfully ignoring it when it clattered against the wooden floor), the actor ran his scrapped fingers through his hair; growling at all thoughts of the evening. Gr. . . that stupid, stupid wolf! And when he was sure he'd never have to see him again, too. . .

Snarling, Inu-Yasha allowed himself to flop into an armchair, glancing towards the slumbering Kagome. She snored softly under his gaze, rolling over on the loveseat- a bit of drool hanging from her mouth.

Lovely.

With a snort of mild amusement, the hanyou slid off of his seat and crouched beside his fiancée, pushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ears. 'Stupid wench. . .' She had certainly made herself at home in his apartment. . . taking over his closets, adding corny romance movies to his DVD collection. . .

. . . drooling on his couch. . .

But surprisingly, Inu-Yasha found he didn't really care. It was sort of cute the way she had so thoroughly purged the place upon moving in. . . annoying, but cute.

Not that he'd ever tell _her_ that. No need to encourage her.

Still. . . it was nice to have someone there.

Upon realization that he was smiling, Inu frowned. 'Let's not get overly emotional about this,' he mused dryly, blowing out his cheeks and sitting on the ground by Kagome's head. Gazing down at the hand he had used to fix her onyx tresses, he growled again.

He had just indirectly touched Kouga, after all.

For the first time in years, he seriously considered trying the cootie-shot rhyme.

Shaking his head after coming to his senses, the hanyou tried to remember what had happened at the premiere. But for some reason it was coming back to him really slowly. . . one moment his Kag had been caught in mid-air by the canine bastard, the next- he had awoken in his living room beside her fretting fiancée. What had happened in between?

Screwing up his face, Inu-Yasha tried to concentrate. Which, as anyone he was even slightly close to knew, was quite a feat. 'Let's see. . . he caught her. . . and I started screaming at him. . .'

The hazy fuzz around his memories sharpened a bit.

'And then- well, I dunno, he said something really stupid. . . of course, everything that asshole says is stupid. . .' he chortled a bit. 'Um. . . oh! Wait, it's coming to me. . . that Kagura girl. . . yeah, she attacked me from behind again. . . which made me fall on top of Kouga. . . which made him mad. . .

So he put down Kagome and we started to fight. . . and I was winning!

At least. . . until Miroku had those Bad Luck people whack both Kouga and I over the heads with their instruments. . . which I guess knocked us out, because the next thing I remember is waking up.'

He lazily opened his eyes, scratching his arm nonchalantly. 'Is that it, then?'

All that he could remember, anyway. Not that it mattered- they'd probably report on it the next morning. He'd just catch up on the news, then. And if it was that awful, or the stupid newspapers said that Kouga had beaten him down, he'd simply kill the editors. Yes, it was a perfect plan. Win-win situation, and all that jazz.

He nodded once to himself, as if confirming his decision.

Then, with a wide yawn, Inu-Yasha let his head fall upon his chest; drifting off into a light slumber at Kagome's side.

**x**

"Hold still!"

"Ow!"

Ayame groaned in frustration, ripping off another strip of medical tape with her sharp teeth. "Kouga, you wuss, stop wiggling! The disinfectant doesn't hurt that much!"

"I know that!" the wolf retorted sourly, sitting cross-legged on the frilly canopy bed, holding the back of his noggin with a pained expression on his face. "It's the stupid bump I got from that Hiro brat's guitar! It _stings_! Talk about embarrassing. . ."

"Yeah," the woman agreed flatly, slapping a band-aid on her husband's forehead. ("Ow! Dammit, Ayame, can't you be a _little_ gentler?" "No.") "Tell me about it. I was right there, with my friends, watching you brawl like a two year old with a co-worker!" She narrowed her bright green pools, huffing loudly. "Honestly! Can't you ever act your age?"

Kouga pouted. "Is that a trick question?"

She slapped him again.

"Ow!"

"I'm being serious!" the police woman roared, though a hint of desperate whining was now detectable in her voice. "Do you know how much shit I had to go through to get those two together? A LOT of it! A city sewer's worth! So don't you go messing it up because of some stupid crush you had in high school." A few crocodile tears worked their way to the surface, trickling down Ayame's cheeks as she stuck out her trembling bottom lip. "Besides, Kouga-kun. . ." she added softly, batting her long lashes. "I thought you loved me. . . don't you?"

". . ." The black haired demon smirked slyly, grabbing the woman unexpectedly and pulling her into a headlock.

"_Wha-?_ Kouga!"

"Mwahahaha!" he snickered loudly, teasingly scrubbing his knuckles against her crown. His grin only widened when she started struggling, complaining about her hairstyle being ruined. Kissing the back of her hand when she began fruitlessly attempting to bat him away, the youkai pulled her against him and nipped her nose.

A magenta blush blossomed instantly at the show of affection.

"Don't be thick," he reprimanded gently, smacking her lightly upside the head. "Of course I love you. Why would I have married you if I didn't?"

"Blackmail?" she suggested innocently, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hmm. . ." he paused suddenly, blinking in surprise. "Oh yeah. . . Maybe that _was _it. . ."

"**KOUGA**!"

"I'm just kidding!" the man defended himself with a chuckle, expertly catching the fist she swung at him. "Geez! Loosen up. . . I'm not even interested in Kagome like that, anymore. As much as I hate that dog turd, I want her to be happy. But. . ." A devilish smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. "I've never been one to pass up a good time. . . and besides, I need to make _sure_ that they're right for one another. That's what friends do, after all. . . and Kagome and I were **very** good friends in high school."

Ayame froze, tearing up again.

He shot her a flat look. "Not friends like _that_! God, woman, grow up and get your mind out of the gutter! This isn't funny anymore!"

She immediately turned her expression into a bright beam, winking. "I know that. I was just joking." Pecking her husband on the cheek, she leaned closer- whispering into his ear. "And yeah. . . they are _so_ much fun to play with. . . aren't they?" With that, the pair burst into- what many would consider to be- maniacal laughter.

The neighbors locked the extra bolts on their doors, that night- just in case.

**x**

The problem with bubble gum was that it always stuck to its wrapper. Well, yeah, that was sort of obvious, what with gum generally being kind of sticky, but all the same Sango found it most annoying.

Frowning deeply as she tried to work the wax paper off her stubborn brick of Bubble Yum, the agent allowed her mind to wander a bit.

Now that she thought about it, bubble gum was a great metaphor for life. She wasn't sure exactly how yet, but she was positive that it had something to do with the way it was always so messy. So messy, and yet you could work with it and mold it to your liking. Sometimes it was harder to do than others, but to remedy that all you had to do was work your mouth a little more.

Kind of like the saying 'Life's a bitch- but I'm going to make it _my_ bitch.'

Sniggering in breathy mirth at her own cleverness, the chestnut haired woman suddenly 'humped' in triumph; displaying her newly de-shelled piece of gum with a sense of pride. . .

Until Miroku sashayed over and took it from her hands, popping it into his mouth with a happy hum. "Mmm. . . gum. Thanks, darling!"

". . ." Sango shot him an icy stare so cold, it could have frosted hell over. The male froze- and that was the last thing he saw until late afternoon, when he awoke in the nurse's office.

_**BAMSOCKCRASHOW**_

She gave his limp form an extra kick for good measure.

Yes, gum was like life. But it was more like her boyfriend. Incredibly bubbly, very flexible, and uber sweet- great until he got in your hair. Then he was permanently stuck there until you took a scissors to him and chopped him out.

Nodding to herself as she took out her Bubble Yum pack once more, she started to rummage around for a new stick. . . when she paused, noticing the partially chewed piece in Miroku's open mouth.

She really didn't want to struggle with another wrapper again. . .

". . ." Casting a frantic look to her left and right, just to make sure no one else was around. . .

Sango deftly darted a hand towards him and snatched out the ABC gum, popping it into her own mouth and blowing a bubble. Hey, they were dating steadily- this was the most **innocent** of the things they _could_ be doing.

Smirking to herself with a superior air, the cheerful agent was just about to go find her employer when a sudden noise caught her ear. The sound of a. . . whirling tornado. . . ?

Cocking her head in bewilderment, Sango turned towards the nearest window and peered out- and instantly found Kagome. Or, at least, Kagome in a 'rag-doll' state- who was now playing rope in the tug-of-war match Kouga and Inu-Yasha were holding in the parking lot.

Sighing, the woman turned to find an exit. 'Guess I gotta go save Kag-chan again. . .'

Life really was like gum, sometimes.

**x**

**x**

**x**

_Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R! Ja ne!_


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